Keywords

detonation

Abstract

Standing detonations are uniquely stabilized in hypersonic flows. The portion of the detonation containing the stabilized shock front is remotely similar to non-reacting normal and oblique shocks and is uniquely differentiable from the latter by its coupling to a reaction front characterized by intense heat-release rates and fast chemical kinetics. The formation of an inert induction region characterized by slow-evolving chemical kinetics, subsequent development of a transition region within which these rates escalate, and terminal coalescence between shock wave and reaction front define the formation sequence of the standing detonation. Observations of this process are reported across multiple research groups. Methodologies that sub-categorize standing detonations based on precise flow properties and unique features measured during experiment, correlated to numerical approaches resolving detonation structure and conservation equations, and contributing to identification of relationships between detonation and boundary condition remain largely unexplored. This gap is the foundation of the first textual component and scientific contribution of the current work. In the context of hypersonic air-breathing propulsion, standing detonations offer a unique benefit to high-speed vehicles through their distinct stability at high velocities, compact form factor, and initiation simplicity. However, they have never been experimentally investigated under atmospheric conditions representative of intended operational regimes. The rationale for such an experiment lies in identifying scientific objectives warranting risk mitigation via flight testing, due to their potential to advance the hypersonic applicability of standing detonations. The inductive formulation and development of such an experiment comprise the second textual component and scientific contribution. The bridge between fundamental explorations of standing detonations and flight experiment is built by multi-dimensional optimization (MDO) of quantifiable characteristics modeled through parameterization of hypersonic reactant mixtures whose oxidizing and reducing constituents are described by thermophysical properties and reaction rates acquired through empirical methods and boundary conditions. This methodology is the third contribution.

Completion Date

2025

Semester

Summer

Committee Chair

Kareem Ahmed

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Format

PDF

Identifier

DP0029571

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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